NEWS RELEASE

CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS MEET WITH CONGRESSIONAL COUNTERPARTS

From 27–29 November 2017, the Honourable Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., House of Commons Co-Chair of the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group, led a delegation to Washington, D.C. for meetings on Capitol Hill. The other members of the delegation were Senators Colin Kenny and Paul Massicotte, and Mr. Vance Badawey, M.P., Mr. Gord Brown, M.P., Vice-Chair, Mr. Colin Carrie, M.P., Ms. Karen Ludwig, M.P., Mr. Brian Masse, M.P., Vice-Chair, Ms. Tracey Ramsey, M.P., Mr. Randeep Sarai, M.P. and Mr. Brad Trost, M.P., Vice-Chair. While in Washington, members of the Canadian Section also had the opportunity to hear an address by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at the Wilson Center.

“We were very pleased to be able to meet with 57 Senators, members of the House of Representatives and their staff,” said Mr. Easter. “During the meetings, our primary focus was trade between Canada and the United States, especially the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations that are currently underway. We stressed the important role that trade plays in the economies of both countries, and the critical and integrated supply chains that enhance the prosperity of our businesses, among other topics.”

Senator Michael L. MacDonald, Senate Co-Chair of the Canadian Section, concluded: “We always find that meetings with our counterparts provide useful insights about the Canada–U.S. relationship, in terms of both areas of difficulty in which we need to find mutually beneficial solutions and of cooperation where we can work together more closely for our joint benefit. As the negotiations about NAFTA continue, we will look for opportunities to reinforce, to our Congressional colleagues, the importance of our bilateral trade.”

The views expressed in this news release are specific to the Canadian Section of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. As such, they may not reflect the views of U.S. counterparts.

The Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group aims to find points of convergence in respective national policies, to initiate dialogue on points of divergence, to encourage the exchange of information, and to promote better understanding among legislators on shared issues of concern. Additional information can be found at: www.parl.gc.ca/iia/us.

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For furthur information:

Hon. Michael L. MacDonald, Senator, Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-995-1866

Hon. Wayne Easter, P.C., M.P., Co-Chair
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-992-2406

Ms. Miriam Burke, Association Secretary
Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group - 613-944-4238